NEW YORK | The 11 Skyline Conference men's soccer coaches have cast their votes on the 2018 outfit of the preseason coaches poll, and defending champion Mount Saint Mary College sits atop the ledger.
Head coach Kevin Longacre's Knights, victorious by a 1-0 count in the 2017 conference championship final over St. Joseph's College-Long Island, picked up nine first-place votes in the tally en route to a total of 97 voting points.
The Golden Eagles received two first-place votes of their own to check in at second place with 78 points, while U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (71) and SUNY Maritime College (64) completed the top-four. Farmingdale State College and College of Mount Saint Vincent are tied for fifth place in the poll with 62 points apiece.
The six-team 2018 Skyline Conference Men's Soccer Championship starts Oct. 27 with first-round contests, while the top-two seeds receive byes to the Oct. 31 semifinal round. The championship final will take place Nov. 3, with the victor earning the Skyline's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
2018 Skyline Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
Pl. Team (first-place votes) - Pts.
1. Mount Saint Mary (9) - 97
2. St. Joseph's-L.I. (2) - 78
3. USMMA - 71
4. Maritime - 64
5t. Farmingdale State and Mount Saint Vincent - 62
7. Old Westbury - 61
8. Purchase - 45
9. Sarah Lawrence - 31
10. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn - 20
11. Yeshiva - 14